Iran and Iraq on Saturday pledged to improve border cooperation and boost trade between the two neighbors that has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
“We remain committed to increasing political, economic and cultural cooperation between the two countries,” President Hassan Rouhani told visiting Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, according to a government website.
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Hussein called for implementing bilateral accords in areas including border cooperation, transportation and trade between the two countries, the website said.
The pandemic has led to border closures and disruptions to trade and visits by millions of pilgrims and tourists.
Iran, which shares a long border with Iraq, has been the epicenter of the virus in the Middle East but the spread has also accelerated in Iraq.
Iran is one of Iraq’s biggest trading partners. Both countries’ economies are in crisis. Iran continues to suffer from US sanctions and Iraq’s economy has been battered by years of wars, sanctions and an extremist insurgency.
Tehran also used to meeting to denounce the US military presence in the region.
Read more:
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